As breathtaking today as the day it was completed, Hoover Dam not only shaped the American West but helped launch the American century. In the depths of the Great Depression it became a symbol of American resilience and ingenuity in the face of crisis, putting thousands of men to work in a remote desert canyon and bringing unruly nature to heel.

Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Michael Hiltzik uses the saga of the dam’s conception, design, and construction to tell the broader story of America’s efforts to come to grips with titanic social, economic, and natural forces. For embodied in the dam’s striking machine-age form is the fundamental transformation the Depression wrought in the nation’s very culture—the shift from the concept of rugged individualism rooted in the frontier days of the nineteenth century to the principle of shared enterprise and communal support that would build the America we know today. In the process, the unprecedented effort to corral the raging Colorado River evolved from a regional construction project launched by a Republican president into the New Deal’s outstanding—and enduring—symbol of national pride.

Yet the story of Hoover Dam has a darker side. Its construction was a gargantuan engineering feat achieved at great human cost, its progress marred by the abuse of a desperate labor force. The water and power it made available spurred the development of such great western metropolises as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and San Diego, but the vision of unlimited growth held dear by its designers and builders is fast turning into a mirage.

In Hiltzik’s hands, the players in this epic historical tale spring vividly to life: President Theodore Roosevelt, who conceived the project; William Mulholland, Southern California’s great builder of water works, who urged the dam upon a reluctant Congress; Herbert Hoover, who gave the dam his name though he initially opposed its construction; Frank Crowe, the dam’s renowned master builder, who pushed his men mercilessly to raise the beautiful concrete rampart in an inhospitable desert gorge. Finally there is Franklin Roosevelt, who presided over the ultimate completion of the project and claimed the credit for it. Hiltzik combines exhaustive research, trenchant observation, and unforgettable storytelling to shed new light on a major turning point of twentieth-century history.

The Best-Selling Book for FE Exam Preparation
The FE Review Manual gives you the power to pass the FE exam the first time. Designed to prepare you for the general FE exam in the least amount of time, this review manual provides you with a complete and comprehensive review of the topics covered on the FE exam. Diagnostic exams on 13 separate topics help you identify where you need the most review, and the chapters that follow each exam provide the information you need to get up to speed in those areas. Over 1,200 practice problems give you experience in solving exam-like problems, while you can use the realistic 8-hour practice exam to simulate the actual FE exam.

Everything You Need to Succeed on the FE/EIT Exam Over 1,200 practice problems, with step-by-step solutions 13 diagnostic exams help you to assess your strengths and weaknesses An 8-hour practice exam, with 180 multiple-choice questions SI units throughout, just like the exam 50 short chapters create manageable study blocks NCEES nomenclature and formulas Sample study schedule Exam tips and advice from recent examinees

Making Sense of Design

Effective design is at the heart of everything from software development to engineering to architecture. But what do we really know about the design process? What leads to effective, elegant designs? The Design of Design addresses these questions.

These new essays by Fred Brooks contain extraordinary insights for designers in every discipline. Brooks pinpoints constants inherent in all design projects and uncovers processes and patterns likely to lead to excellence. Drawing on conversations with dozens of exceptional designers, as well as his own experiences in several design domains, Brooks observes that bold design decisions lead to better outcomes.

The author tracks the evolution of the design process, treats collaborative and distributed design, and illuminates what makes a truly great designer. He examines the nuts and bolts of design processes, including budget constraints of many kinds, aesthetics, design empiricism, and tools, and grounds this discussion in his own real-world examples—case studies ranging from home construction to IBM's Operating System/360. Throughout, Brooks reveals keys to success that every designer, design project manager, and design researcher should know.

The best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Want to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun, hands-on way? With Make: Electronics, you'll start working on real projects as soon as you crack open the book. Explore all of the key components and essential principles through a series of fascinating experiments. You'll build the circuits first, then learn the theory behind them!

Build working devices, from simple to complex You'll start with the basics and then move on to more complicated projects. Go from switching circuits to integrated circuits, and from simple alarms to programmable microcontrollers. Step-by-step instructions and more than 500 full-color photographs and illustrations will help you use -- and understand -- electronics concepts and techniques.

• Discover by breaking things: experiment with components and learn from failure
• Set up a tricked-out project space: make a work area at home, equipped with the tools and parts you'll need
• Learn about key electronic components and their functions within a circuit
• Create an intrusion alarm, holiday lights, wearable electronic jewelry, audio processors, a reflex tester, and a combination lock
• Build an autonomous robot cart that can sense its environment and avoid obstacles
• Get clear, easy-to-understand explanations of what you're doing and why

The world's most widely adopted safety code, the National Electrical Code? (NEC) is now advancing electrical safety requirements with the 2008 edition in an effort to maximize public safety, emergency preparation, and electrical worker protection. With regulations for electrical wiring and equipment in virtually all types of buildings, this new edition responds to industry needs with expanded requirements based on research, new technologies, and recent events. A must-have for anyone involved in electrical design, installation, inspection, and safety, this edition has been updated for enhanced usability in the field, making it ideal for handling on-the-job electrical situations safely and effectively. Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning is pleased to make this authoritative reference from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) available directly from us, for the convenience of our customers who work in and around the electrical trades. It may be used independently, or as a companion to any electrical book, including Delmar's best-selling wiring series, as well as our guides to using the NEC?.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise.

The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.

Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama.

The smart way to learn Microsoft Office Project 2007--one step at a time! Work at your own pace through the easy numbered steps, practice files on CD, helpful hints, and troubleshooting tips to master the fundamentals of working with the latest version of Office Project, including information on the new, easy-to-use scenarios and reporting features. You will learn the essentials for managing time, people, and budgets for projects large and small with Office Project 2007. You will learn how to create a task list and assign resources, fine-tune your project plan, track project progress, and share and publish project information. With STEP BY STEP, you can take just the lessons you need or work from cover to cover. Either way, you drive the instruction, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Includes a companion CD with hands-on practice files.

Used extensively as a reference source for the FAA Knowledge Exams, this resource includes basic knowledge that is essential for all pilots, from beginning students to those pursuing advanced pilot certificates. This updated guide covers a wide array of fundamental subjects, including principles of flight, aircraft and engine structures, charts and graphs, performance calculations, weather theory, reports, forecasts, and flight manuals. Required reading for pilots for more than 25 years and formerly published as an Advisory Circular (AC 61-23C), this new edition is now listed as an official FAA Handbook.

The authoritative classic--revised and updated for today's Six Sigma practitioners

Whether you want to further your Six Sigma training to achieve a Black or Green Belt or you are totally new to the quality-management strategy, you need reliable guidance. The Six Sigma Handbook, Third Edition shows you, step by step, how to integrate this profitable approach into your company's culture.

Co-written by an award-winning contributor to the practice of quality management and a successful Six Sigma trainer, this hands-on guide features:

• Cutting-edge, Lean Six Sigma concepts integrated throughout
• Completely revised material focused on project objectives
• Updated and expanded problem-solving examples using Excel and Minitab
• A streamlined format that puts proven practices at your fingertips

The Six Sigma Handbook, Third Edition is the only comprehensive reference you need to make Six Sigma work for your company. The book explains how to organize for Six Sigma, how to use customer requirements to drive strategy and operations, how to carry out successful project management, and more. Learn all the management responsibilities and actions necessary for a successful deployment, as well as how to:

• Dramatically improve products and processes using DMAIC and DMADV
• Use Design for Six Sigma to create innovative products and processes
• Incorporate lean, problem-solving, and statistical techniques within the Six Sigma methodology
• Avoid common pitfalls during implementation

Six Sigma has evolved with the changing global economy, and The Six Sigma Handbook, Third Edition is your key to ensuring that your company realizes significant gains in quality, productivity, and sales in today's business climate.